Hopefuls lining up for Saratoga County DA’s post

BALLSTON SPA >> With District Attorney James A. Murphy III’s plans to run for Saratoga County Court judge in November, at least four people have expressed an interest in filling succeeding him to be the county’s top prosecutor.

Despite Murphy’s announcement, though, his current post won’t be vacant until he resigns or is elected judge, which makes it unclear exactly when, or even if, an election will take place for DA.

“We don’t even have an endorsed county court judge candidate or a vacancy in the DA’s office yet,” County GOP Chair John Herrick said Monday, saying the race was “off his radar” for some time.

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But it isn’t off everyone’s radar.

Three of Murphy’s prosecutors, Debra Kaelin, Karren Heggen and James Davis, are all taking an interest in running for the GOP line in a race for DA. But as Dave Harper, a former assistant district attorney who plans to run for the position, pointed out “there has be a vacancy in order to fill it.”

Harper is the only person to express interest in the job who isn’t working in the DA’s office. He has experience there, though. Harper was the first assistant district attorney from 1999 until his retirement in 2010 when he unsuccessfully ran for the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook.

He is currently the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee chairman and has practiced some criminal defense, but prior to that, he spent 23 years in the district attorney’s office.

Harper said all of his opponents for the job are “highly-qualified ADAs” but said “the decision will turn on who the county committee and voters determine can be a department head.”

Heggen is the current first assistant district attorney who said she has been in a supervisory role since Murphy took office in 1999.

“Since he took office as the DA I have been his right hand,” she said. Heggen is often the person to take over managing the office in Murphy’s absence and said when the DA talks about the success of his office, “I have been of the planners in that team.”

Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Kaelin said, “I think I bring to the table the experience, integrity, temperament and demeanor to be DA.” Kaelin has been in the office for 26 years and echoed some of the other hopefuls’ emphasis on management skills, saying “a lot of administration goes along with being DA,” which she said she possesses.

ADA Davis has 17 years of experience between Saratoga and Columbia counties, but said he has diverse expertise that make him qualified to run the office.

Davis highlighted his role as the head of the driving while intoxicated unit within the DA’s office and his role building that over the last decade. “I think we are the preeminent agency in the state in handling these kind of cases,” he said, which he said culminated in the prosecution of Dennis Drue last year.

“It was very difficult because it was so complex,” he said since it encompassed victim outreach and coordination of 50 witnesses, two crime labs as well as accident reconstruction and other aspects. “It really exercised all of my skill sets.”

He said his prosecution in that case is a “good basis for my qualifications as DA.”

Still, it remains to be seen when the race would even take place. Murphy is not required to resign from office in order to run for judge and left the question open as to whether he would. If not, the office will not be vacant unless Murphy wins, and then not until Jan. 1.

On Friday, Democratic Committee Chair Todd Kerner said they would be seeking candidates to run for both County Court Judge to replace retiring judge Jerry Scarano. He was not immediately available for comment Monday regarding any potential district attorney’s race.